Chelsea Clinton: wedding day stays under wraps

A passenger wearing a Bill Clinton mask is paraded through the streets of Rhinebeck as the town prepares for the wedding of Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky. Photograph: David Goldman/Getty Images

Watched by her parents and VIPs from US politics and showbusiness, Chelsea Clinton married her long-term boyfriend, Marc Mezvinsky, after weeks of secrecy surrounding the build-up to the wedding in Rhinebeck, a village in New York State.

Crowds of local people and a large media pack desperate for a sight of the bride began forming from early morning in the hope of catching a glimpse of the couple at the exclusive estate on the Hudson River.

Former US president Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary, the current secretary of state, emerged late on Friday night to greet the crowds as they arrived for a party. The reporters' hunt for celebrities yielded another result when acting couple Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen were spotted walking hand-in-hand through the village.

"I knew her since she was a baby so this is a big moment," said Steenburgen. "She's a lovely, lovely girl."

Up to 500 guests gathered for the ceremony, the details of which have been shrouded in secrecy, with shopkeepers, innkeepers, vendors and restaurateurs sworn to silence. Roads were blocked off, the skies were closed over the estate and inconvenienced neighbours were bought off with a complimentary bottle of wine.

The wedding took place at Astor Courts, a secluded estate built as a Beaux Arts-style playground for John Jacob Astor IV more than a century ago. The estate features the sort of commanding view that once inspired painters, as well as 50 acres of grounds to shield the party from prying eyes.

Speculation had reached fever pitch about the make-up of the guest list but Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg and John Major were said not to be coming after all. Those who were spotted included former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright and film producer Steve Bing, while there were also rumoured sightings of investor Warren Buffett and bastketball player Kobe Bryant.

Bill Clinton made an appearance alone on Friday, greeting people and answering their questions. Looking fit and relaxed in blue jeans and a black shirt, Clinton appeared to have made a good attempt at shedding the 15 pounds his daughter had requested before walking her up the aisle and passed on dessert during lunch at a local restaurant.

It was a less well-known Clinton, Bill's cousin Marie Clinton Bruno, who finally spoke to the media when she was spotted strolled past shops with her husband, Gio, on her way to get dressed for the wedding. She said she couldn't believe that the girl who was a 10-year-old bridesmaid at her own wedding was now getting married.

"She was just a wonderful bridesmaid," said Bruno. "She's just as wonderful today as she was back then."

Onlookers who spotted other guests said the majority appeared to be in their late 20s or 30s, reflecting the ages of the happy couple, who were friends as teenagers in Washington before they both went on to attend Stanford University.

They now live in New York, where Mezvinsky works at G3 Capital, a Manhattan hedge fund. Clinton completed her master's degree in public health earlier this year at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.

Mezvinsky is a son of former US Democratic politicians Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky of Pennsylvania and Ed Mezvinsky of Iowa, long-time friends of the Clintons. His parents are divorced.